Archive for category: The Knowledge Quarter

A unique children’s innovation book set in Liverpool is the focus of a new roadshow visiting the city region’s primary schools.

 

The Animates: Learning in Liverpool, written in partnership with Connected Places Catapult,  follows the adventures of six animal creatures who crash land in Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) and must explore a range of different technologies around the innovation district in order to repair their ship and return home, aided by Splodge the robot dog. A copy of the book, accompanied by bespoke lesson plans, was delivered to every primary school in the city region at the end of last year.

 

Now, Liverpool-based author Natalie Reeves Billing is embarking on the interactive showcase tour around Liverpool City Region, aiming to reinforce the central ambition of the book by inspiring young minds about the types of innovations and careers pathways open to them. 

 

The roadshow sessions got underway this week at Forefield Infant School in Crosby, featuring a reading by Natalie and co-host Jude Lennon,  robot dog demonstrations from the Manufacturing Technology Centre and LJMU School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, rocket ship building workshops and a sing-along to the newly-created Animates theme tune.

 

The Animates: Learning in Liverpool is part of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool’s KQ Futures programme, which is funded by the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone, part of the UK Government’s Investment Zone programme. The book was devised with support from CBRE, Kier, Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, Lloyds, Morgan Sindall and Sciontec. 

 

Rachel Newman, inclusive innovation officer at KQ Liverpool, said: “When we launched the book last year, it was an instant hit with pupils and teachers alike, and we were thrilled to provide all local schools with a copy. The roadshow feels like a natural extension of that work – finding new, creative ways to engage with young people and open their minds to the endless opportunities for innovation careers here in their home city.”

 

Natalie Reeves Billing, said: “The Animates is one of my most cherished projects. Children each have their own special talents and gifts, and the purpose of this book is to show them how their own skills might fit within the innovation sector.  It is wonderful to see the children engaging so enthusiastically with the story and enjoying our new theme song and hopefully the session has made a small but lasting impact on their future outlook.” 

 

Mark Hall, head of Year 1 at Forefield Junior School, said: “It’s never too early to introduce young minds to concepts around science or technology, and we want to inspire them to explore a broad range of ideas and opportunities. The Animates book is a great way to do this and reinforce the fact they can build impressive skills and careers within a few miles of where they live. The robot dog was also a very popular visitor!”

 

Cllr Liam Robinson, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Innovation said: “This is such an inspiring initiative. Through the Animates Roadshow, we’re not only igniting young imaginations, but we are also showing our young people that the world of science, technology, and creativity is right on their doorstep. By embedding innovation into education, we are equipping the next generation with the skills, confidence, and curiosity to shape our Liverpool City Region.”

 

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) innovation district and the Sci-Tech Daresbury national science and innovation campus, incorporating the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) as part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), will work together to identify potential future projects, investment opportunities and access to facilities.

Both locations are key pillars in the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences and Healthcare Innovation Zone. Health and life sciences contributes £5bn to the city region economy, representing 14.2% of GVA (gross value added) – nearly double the average for England. There are 1,800 businesses involved in health and life sciences in the region, with 97,000 health-related jobs and 6,000 in life sciences.

The new memorandum of understanding will also involve hosting visits or delegations, contributing to the city region’s long-term, innovation-led development agenda, and amplifying its profile among external stakeholders.

KQ Liverpool and Sci-Tech Daresbury already share intelligence as part of the Liverpool City Region Innovation Board, while both have also been awarded Innovation Zone funding by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The opportunity for a closer working relationship between the two locations as created by the MOU has the potential to result in major economic and scientific outcomes given the pedigree and achievements to date of both sites. 

Sci-Tech Daresbury’s cutting-edge infrastructure, access to world-class expertise, and highly effective collaborative environment make the campus a leader in transformative advancements in science and technology. It is home to over 160 businesses and has aspirations to bring 8,000 jobs to the campus through its medium-long term expansion

The campus hosts STFC’s internationally renowned Daresbury Laboratory. This brings unparalleled expertise in particle accelerator technology, nuclear physics, high-performance computing, quantum computing and AI — key technologies driving innovation across a range of sectors including life sciences and healthcare, advanced manufacturing, clean technology and digital technologies. 

One of the most significant assets at Sci-Tech Daresbury is STFC’s Hartree Centre, a world-leading facility that leverages advanced digital technologies such as supercomputing, AI, and quantum computing in partnership with IBM Research who have one of their international Research Labs on the campus. This has helped to deliver breakthroughs across a range of sectors including life sciences and healthcare, logistics, energy and advanced manufacturing.

KQ Liverpool is a 450-acre urban innovation district that occupies over 50% of Liverpool city centre. This world-leading innovation district is home to some of the world’s most influential players in science, health, technology, education, music, and the creative performing arts 

It has world-class specialisms in medical research including infection and disease, public health and clinical informatics, surface science and biofilms, materials chemistry, sports science, manufacturing technology, modern methods of construction, immersive technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics. These are brought to life through its world-leading facilities including; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool Science Park, Materials Innovation Factory, Digital Innovation Factory, and CENTRAL TECH, which was recently acquired by KQ Liverpool’s spin-out development company, Sciontec.

The impact of the closer working relationship between the two locations will be instrumental for the future standing of the Liverpool City Region as a science and innovation powerhouse.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:

“From the world’s first passenger railway to breakthroughs that have shaped modern science and healthcare, the Liverpool City Region has always led from the front.

“Today, that legacy continues with two of our biggest innovation powerhouses – KQ Liverpool and Sci-Tech Daresbury – joining forces to drive forward growth and opportunity for our region.

“This partnership is another step on our journey to becoming a genuine science and innovation superpower – and proof that if you want to shape the future, you should be looking to the Liverpool City Region.”

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of KQ Liverpool, said:

“The Liverpool City Region has enormous potential for growth, underpinned by a strong and vibrant knowledge economy. It’s vital, therefore, that Sci-Tech Daresbury and KQ Liverpool, which are at the forefront of that positive change, work together wherever possible to create a robust innovation ecosystem and a compelling narrative for investment. 

“We look forward to collaborating further with Sci-Tech Daresbury, STFC and UKRI to generate even more opportunities and positive outcomes for people living and working across the city region.”

John Downes, chair of Sci-Tech Daresbury, said:

“Sci-Tech Daresbury is a national and international facility and key asset for the Liverpool City Region having STFC’s national laboratory at its centre, and is an outstanding example of public and private open innovation collaboration. 

“We look forward to working closer with the Knowledge Quarter to raise the profile of the city region internationally as an innovation hotspot that is the perfect location for groundbreaking technology businesses to locate.”

Paul Vernon, Head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory said:

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our shared vision for the Liverpool City Region. Here at Daresbury Laboratory, we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise in a range of sectors including science, healthcare and digital technologies. 

“By combining and sharing our resources and strengths with KQ Liverpool, we are able to unlock a wealth of opportunity for growth and innovation.”

We know March can be a busy time for many organisations, but at KQ Liverpool and our spin-out development company Sciontec, it’s been especially action-packed.

The month began with a special In The Know event to celebrate International Women’s Day. The ‘Accelerate Action’ session, hosted at Sciontec’s Garden Suite in Liverpool Science Park, featured a fascinating panel discussion with Professor Ana Bras from Liverpool John Moores University, Jen Fenner of DefProc Engineering and Philippa Glover from Philippa Glover Ltd, emphasising the urgent need to address gender inequalities and dismantle the obstacles that can impede women’s progress.

The following day, our assistant chief executive Emily Robson received a richly-deserved Rising Star award at the Women in Business Awards, hosted by Downtown Liverpool. We also learned that Sciontec’s head of property and operations George Barclay has been shortlisted for Insider’s Young Professionals Awards.

Our KQ Futures Programme – part of the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone – continued at pace, with students from three different local schools and colleges visiting innovation sites within KQ Liverpool and learning more about the incredible range of careers that are available on their doorstep.

Emily joined chief executive Colin Sinclair and head of marketing Sally Bloor at MIPIM, the annual international real estate and investment conference in Cannes, where the team helped to showcase a range of exciting opportunities within KQ Liverpool.

These included updated plans for HEMISPHERE, a pair of £156m laboratory and workspace innovation developments by Sciontec. Located at Paddington Village, HEMISPHERE will offer a unique combination of chemistry labs, data labs, bio labs and innovation labs, alongside incubator and grow-on space, with some of the world’s most advanced facilities.

It was announced that HEMISPHERE Two will be home to a new double-height robotics and AI-enabled chemistry  laboratory space on the ground floor to help drive innovation research and develop manufacturing capability. Plans for biology and chemistry labs at HEMISPHERE One are already underway, with work expected to begin later this year, supported by funding from Liverpool City Council’s Strategic Futures fund and the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone. 

Sciontec also confirmed that Morgan Sindall has been appointed as preferred contractor at HEMISPHERE One, with Worthington Owen and Avison Young instructed as leasing agents. Carter Jonas has been appointed as leasing agent for HEMISPHERE Two.

Completing the round of major announcements, it was revealed that Sciontec has acquired CENTRAL TECH, a new 27,000 sq ft urban technology building on Copperas Hill that will open on May 1 following a commitment of fresh investment to create a global hub for innovation in health, life sciences, technology and digitalisation, utilising the ultrafast LCR Connect network. 

Meanwhile, members of the KQ Liverpool team have been active at events across the city region, taking part in meaningful conversations around innovation careers and skills development. 

Among those events were All About STEM’s Experience of the Workplace in partnership with Liverpool City Region Careers Hub at Liverpool Hope University, where our Skills Project Co-ordinator Codi Ellis and Inclusive Innovation Officer Rachel Newman spoke with more than 150 Year 8 students about careers in the Liverpool City Region. 

Our head of partnerships and external relations, Claire Kidman, attended Knowsley Hall to mark 10 years of Club Liverpool. The event celebrated the significant economic impact that conferences bring to the region. Congratulations to all colleagues who were recognised for their outstanding contributions.

We have also engaged with LCR Careers Hub and partner organisations around equalex, a new work experience programme for which LCR is one of four pilot areas. This was in addition to two round table discussions around the green skills agenda and shaping futures for women in science.

So, as April approaches and the weather gradually improves, we will briefly catch our collective breath before embracing the many exciting events and opportunities that are heading our way in the coming months.

In a dynamic roundtable at City of Liverpool College, business leaders, educators, and policymakers – including KQ Liverpool’s Inclusive Innovation Officer, Rachel Newman – confronted the region’s most pressing challenge: building a workforce capable of driving Liverpool’s green economic transformation.

Neil Borg-Olivier, Vice Principal for Curriculum Development, set the tone immediately. “Our responsibility is to clearly understand skills priorities and ensure our curriculum is agile enough to respond to rapidly changing industry needs,” he explained. This wasn’t just educational rhetoric, but a strategic commitment to bridging the gap between training and industry demand.

Matt Breakwell from Kimpton, a mechanical and electrical engineering business based in Bromborough, delivered the most passionate intervention. “Employers are sitting in pubs complaining about young people not wanting to work, when we’ve got brilliant students desperate for opportunities,” he argued. His company’s approach demonstrates what’s possible – taking on seven apprentices last year in a 100-person business, with a commitment to growing talent pipelines.

James Cannon from Enspec Power highlighted the critical skills shortage in specialised sectors. “When recruiting senior Power Systems Engineers, 9 out of 10 candidates are from India, Iran, or Pakistan,” he revealed, underlining the urgent need for local talent development.

Councillor Marion Atkinson brought a strategic perspective. “Every conversation with investors starts with skills,” she noted, showing that Liverpool’s economic attractiveness hinges on its workforce capabilities. She also raised a crucial point about diversity, challenging the room to track how many women trained in technical roles actually remain in these careers long-term.

Lisa Cooke from certification business MCS shared an inspiring alternative model. Her organisation has grown from one to 70 employees, with 61% female representation in a traditionally male-dominated renewable technologies sector. “We focus on core behaviors and appetite for learning,” she explained, “not just academic qualifications.”

Jane Gaston from Net Zero North West provided crucial context about the region’s industrial transformation. “We’re not abandoning traditional industries,” she stressed, “but supporting their transition through a coordinated skills approach.”

The discussion revealed complex challenges. Geoff Wainwright from Impact Data Metrics highlighted the massive financial challenge of retrofitting homes to meet net-zero standards – estimating a potential an enormous investment will be needed.

Chris Capes from Peel Waters emphasised the need for a broader skill base. “It’s not just about green jobs,” he argued, “but creating clear career progression pathways that excite and retain talent.”

Colin Salmon from the college was unequivocal about the long-term vision. “This is a generations’ work,” he said, referencing the 2050 net-zero target. “We need immediate solutions, but also a strategic, long-term approach to talent development.”

Rachel Newman from the Knowledge Quarter highlighted the critical role of early intervention.

“We’re working to excite children from primary schools about careers in Liverpool, not London,”

she explained, demonstrating the importance of inspiring future talent early.

The roundtable’s consensus was clear: Liverpool’s economic future depends on breaking down institutional silos, creating transparent career pathways, and fundamentally changing how technical and green careers are perceived and promoted.

As Matt Breakwell succinctly put it: “We need to stop being so British about discussing careers. Talk about the money, talk about the opportunities, and make engineering sexy.”

With ambitious targets, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to innovation, Liverpool is positioning itself as a leader in the green skills revolution.